Photo gallery: Nine area wrestlers advance to Division 3 individual state finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills

MANCHESTER, MI – The level of competition at the Division 3 individual wrestling regionals at Manchester High School Saturday afternoon was one that most teams would like to avoid.

With the presence of Dundee, the No. 1-ranked team in Division 3, and the three-time Division 3 state champions Richmond in the house, it made for a rough road to the state finals.

Despite the high level of competition, the Jackson-area teams advanced nine wrestlers to the state finals at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 28 – Mar. 2.

“We got number one and number three in the state here, and they are legit,” Manchester coach Steve Vlcek said. “I don’t think anyone is going to see that much better (in the finals) than what they faced today.”

Manchester was the most successful Jackson-area team on the day, punching six tickets to the big show.